Mega Global prepares for the future

(Last of three parts)

In college in the late 1960s, William Tiu Lim was majoring in engineering and working in the family’s men’s clothing store when he started courting Marylou, whose family was then in the fishing business. A natural entrepreneur, William asked for and obtained permission to view their fishing boats, and in 1972, he built his own vessel, plying the waters of Bicol under the company Wilmar Fishing, in a nod to the newlyweds’ names.

Through perseverance and grit, the business steadily grew, even as the couple literally weathered storms. The lowest point for the company, a story that William often narrated, was when several of their fishermen perished at sea when a typhoon wrecked their craft.

William was honest with their people, telling them that the decision to continue was in their hands. It was a testament to their trust in him that they voted to forge ahead, and up to this day, the family knows that the greatest strength of their family business, a household name in sardines and other products, lies in their people.

In 1995, the company rebranded itself as Mega Fishing and moved their hub to Zamboanga, which accounts for more than half of the national sardine output. Three years later, Mega built a canning plant to supplement their fishing fleet. At the turn of the millennium, they launched Mega Sardines, and with the endorsement of celebrity Cesar Montano three years later, the brand soared to the top of the local market.

Several innovations later (including the first to pack sardines in an easy-tear pouch), Mega Global now manufactures and distributes canned tuna, vegetables and fruits, sauces and dips, noodles and juices.

In March 2023, the company opened its third manufacturing plant: a P1-billion world-class facility in Santo Tomas, Batangas, that utilizes state-of-the-art systems and processes, complies with global environmental standards, provides over a thousand livelihood opportunities, and, what I find uniquely gratifying, educates schoolchildren and the rest of us in how the freshest sardines reach households, from catching to canning.

Senses of the Sea, their 906-square-meter interactive sardines museum, began opening its doors this month to visitors, with students as a priority. From the Briefing Room, visitors can visit the Aquatic Room to immerse themselves in fish catching, the Canning Room to try their hand at canning, the Mega Fleet to explore their vessels, and the Seaside Market to play, dine and shop.

To ensure that the museum provides high-quality edutainment, the company partnered with the Philippine Amusement and Entertainment Corporation, the biggest operator in the field. And instead of hawking tickets, the company mandated free entrance to the museum.

“Early on, young as they are, we want to educate students on the humbling process of how to make a can of sardines, which can feed many people in the family,” says Marvin Tiu Lim, chief growth and development officer, who also spearheads community service efforts. “Each can is very affordable—it is a really humble product, so we want to make sure that future generations respect and care for it, too.”

Integrity, perseverance, groundedness, frugality and love of God are values in their family constitution, and as the siblings work together to make the company grow, they also strive to inculcate these into the third generation, now more than a dozen strong and counting.

In a forum with the young ones, I observed how the older among the cousins carefully prepared their presentations on the company’s history and how the younger ones listened attentively to each other as their parents—and especially, their grandparents—gazed with pride. Upon these loving family bonds lies the foundation for the future.

Queena N. Lee-Chua is with the board of directors of Ateneo’s Family Business Center. Get her book “All in the Family Business” at Lazada or Shopee, or the ebook at Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks. Contact the author at [email protected].